Change of heart
by Stupid computer
Summary: The good news? Sunil's owners just got a new pet. The bad news? She's a cobra. Not only that but she's a cobra who's convinced that Sunil is her daddy. Sunil wants nothing to do with her at first but with a little help from all his friends-especially Vinnie-maybe he will have a change of heart. SunilXVinnie.
1. Ular

It was easy to tell that Sunil was not happy when he arrived at Littlest Pet Shop. All of his friends could tell that he was in a rather sour mood but no one knew why. The magician scowled at anyone who so much as looked at him. Blyth had already left for school so it would have to be one of the pets that confronted him.

"Why do _I _have to talk to him?"

"Because Vinnie," Russell said, "You're his best friend."

"So? You're his friend too!" The gecko stated stubbornly.

"Yes but he's much less likely to hurt you."

In the mist of their argument Mrs. Twombly walked in with a bright blue cage in hand.

"Now everyone, quiet down now. I want to introduce you to our newest Littlest Pet Shop friend. Mr. Nevla just got a new pet. Make her feel right at home ok?"

She sat the cage down on the floor and gently opened the latch before leaving. Everyone-save Sunil-gathered around the blue cage.

"Why Sunil, you didn't tell us your owners got a new pet." Zoe said.

"I hope she likes jokes. Why did the chicken cross the road?"

"Pepper, we should wait for her to come out first." Penny gently scolded her friend.

Sunil stayed far away from the cage. The others had completely forgotten about his bad mood in their excitement. Someone inside the cage stirred. Slowly the new pet made her way out. Her slender body pressed against the floor. Her blue and green scales glistened under the lights. She smiled shyly at everyone, her fangs pearly white.

"O-oh…she's a s-s-sn-sn-s-Snake." Zoe muttered, trying not to offend the new pet with her fear. Minka was the first to greet the reptile.

"Hi there! I'm Minka, what's your name? Where did you come from? Do you like to paint? Ohohoh! I love your scales! I'm sosososo super excited that you're here. We can be bffs and tell each other secrets and play games and-"

Russell put a paw over Minka's mouth to silence her.

"Calm down Minka. We don't want to over whelm her."

"Sorry."

The little snake looked frightened by all the attention. She quickly slithered over to Sunil and coiled herself around him.

"D-daddy, I'm s-scared." The little snake said.

The other pets looked at Sunil in confusion. The mongoose looked like he was about to burst with anger. He wiggled away from the tight grip of the snake with much force. He turned and spoke at her with gritted teeth.

"I. Am. _Not._ Your. Father!" Sunil nearly shouted the words.

"You're so silly daddy." The snake laughed, recoiling around Sunil's waist.

"Everybody, this is Ular. The. Cobra." Sunil grumpily muttered.

Sudden realization hit everyone. If there was one thing Sunil hated, it was cobras. Now he had a permanent one strapped to his waist. Ular smiled shyly at the rest of the pets.

"H-hi everyone. I'm Ular b-but I guess daddy already t-told you that. Wh-who are you?"

"I'm Russell, hedgehog; not porcupine."

"My name's Zoe, you've probably heard of me. I am a bit of a star."

"Hi, I'm Pepper. Why did the snake get kicked out of school? Because he wouldn't cobra-operate! Ha, get it?"

"Heyheyhey! I'm Minka, nice to meet you! I'm sosososososo happy to have a new friend! Ular is suuuch a pretty name. Do you want to play? We can paint something or-" This time it was Penny who silenced Minka.

"She already knows who you are Minka. Hello, I'm Penny Ling."

"And I'm Vinnie!" Vinnie danced a little jig, tripped over his tail, and feel into a pile of pet toys.

Ular laughed lightly. Sunil was once again trying to push her off of him. Ular laughed harder as his fur brushed up against him.

"Daddy, that tickles!" She cried out.

Sunil looked even more irritated that he had just a few moments before. He yanked himself out of Ular's grasp and turned his back to her.

"Uh, just wondering…why do you keep calling Sunil daddy?" Vinnie asked what all the pets were thinking.

"Well everyone has a daddy and since Sunil is the only other pet in the house he must be my daddy!" Ular replied.

"I'm not your daddy! Cobras and Mongooses are worst enemies!" Sunil snapped at her.

"Which makes me even more happy that you overcame your fears to be my daddy!" Ular went up to Sunil and rested her head on his chest. Sunil bit back a growl.

"Wow, she's even less bright than you Vinnie." Pepper said.

"Why thank you Pepp-wait a minute, are you calling me stupid?"

"No Vinnie, not at all." Zoe responded sarcastically.

"Oh, good 'cause for a second there it sounded like she was."

All the pets rolled their eyes. Sunil was having trouble with getting Ular off of him. Russell took pity on his friend and went to help.

"Hey, uh, Ular, why don't you get acquainted with everyone?" Russell suggested.

Ular looked a bit nervous but went to talk to the others.

"Finally. I don't know what possessed my owners to buy a cobra! Of all the disgusting animals, they just had to pick a cobra!" Sunil complained.

"Come on Sunil, give her a chance. She seems to be found of you, daddy." Russell joked.

"Well the feeling is not mutual. I refuse to be her segregate parent." Sunil crossed his arms and walked away.

Russell sighed. Something told him Sunil wasn't about to change his mind any time soon.

**Review please!**


	2. Happy

**Chapter two!**

Sunil laid in his pet bed; his fur standing on end. The day had been a most horrible one to put it bluntly. He had stayed clear of Ular just as he said he would. Russell and Vinnie tried to convince him to do otherwise but Sunil would hear none of it. The other pets however took right to Ular. She was still a little cobra so she didn't know much but everyone made her feel welcomed.

Pepper spent the most time with Ular. It was easy to make the small cobra laugh. Pepper was glad to have such an easy audience. Minka loved to have someone new to talk with. She even painted a portrait of Ular as a welcome present. Penny and Vinnie danced for her and even tried to teach her a few moves. Zoe loved the way Ular hung on every word she sang. And Russell got to show her the ropes of the pet shop without getting ridiculed for his perfectionism. All in all everyone was happy. Everyone except Sunil.

The mongoose tossed around in his pet bed trying to sleep. He was having some difficulties sleeping since Ular was right across from him in her cage. At least his owners were smart enough to lock her up when they went to sleep.

'Who knows what that horrid creature would do if she was allowed to wander around here.' Sunil thought to himself.

The worst part of his day was when Ular would call him daddy. Daddy, listen to this funny joke Pepper told me! Daddy, look what Minka gave me! Daddy, watch me dance! Daddy, come listen to Zoe with me! Daddy, Russell is going to give me a tour of the pet store! Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy- Sunil couldn't take it!  
His owners had bought Ular from a exotic pets website. For all he knew, she had never seen another animal until she meet him. Sunil would feel pity for the poor girl if she wasn't a cobra. Sunil looked over at Ular's cage. She was coiled up, light from her heating lamp rested on her scales. She seemed harmless enough but Sunil knew better. His parents always taught him to never trust a cobra. They told him horrible stories about cobras since he was little. Even as he looked at his new house mate he could feel something boiling in his blood. An ancient rivalry coursed throughout him. Sunil knew that he could not trust her, no matter how young or naïve she might be.

**At the Terrio's house**

The clock ticked by slowly, its fingers reading 8:45. Not too late, Vinnie knew. He usually didn't go to sleep until 10:00 or so. But that was something tonight that just made time seem…slower. He remembered all the fun that went on earlier. Teaching the little snake how to dance and watching her have fun. It was great to have a fellow reptile at that pet shop. But there was also something troubling going on.

Sunil sat in the corner all day, doing everything he could _not _to be with Ular. Vinnie hated to see any of his friends sad, especially Sunil. Sunil was his best friend so of course he wouldn't like to see him sad but that wasn't the whole story. He might not be the brightest but he knew when feelings went beyond friendship. It was an odd idea for him at first. Sunil had always been his best friend that was for sure. Somewhere along the way though something shifted in Vinnie. Being best friends no longer seemed like it was enough.

Vinnie was sure that Sunil didn't feel the same way and that was fine…ok it wasn't completely fine but as long as Sunil was happy Vinnie didn't care. The problem now was that Sunil wasn't happy. The clock struck the next hour and Vinnie went to sleep, determined to make Sunil happy the next day.


	3. Breakfast

The light taps of rain woke Sunil up. His fur was slightly messy due to his restless sleep and his back hurt badly. He looked around the room to find that his owner was not in bed. This didn't come as much of a surprise; Mr. Nevla had left Sunil alone in the house every now and then, especially when the weather was bad. The rain made traffic bad and Mr. Nevla wouldn't have time to take him to the pet day camp. Sunil was well trained and took pride that he could look after himself at times. But today he wasn't just looking out for himself.

Ular was resting in her cage peacefully. Her eyes were still firmly closed, giving no sign that she was going to wake up anytime soon. Sunil hated that he would have to spend all day alone with Ular. It dawned on him that this was the first time that he would be alone with the cobra. Someone else was always around, whether it be people or other animals. Today though, he was completely on his own with her. Sunil shuttered with the thought.

The blue mongoose was about to leave the room when he heard mumbling. A faint hissing noise floated by his ears; a sound being admitted through the wire walls of Ular's cage.

"Da...d...dy. Look a...awha I ca...cado." She softly muttered in her sleep.

Sunil rolled his eyes at her nonsensical babbling. He hoped down from where his pet bed sat and went into the kitchen to see what his owner had left for breakfast. A bowl full of pet pellets; did he really expect anything else? He ate half-heartily, wondering what the day would be like. Fat drops of rain fell against the entire apartment complex, sounds bouncing through the halls. A few minuets later and a new sound awoke, this one not as nice as the pitter patter of rain drops. This sound was a scream and it was coming from the bed room.

At first, Sunil started to hide, then another scream rang out. This one was softer, almost a whimper. He realized that the sound came from Ular. Sunil went into the room against his better judgment. He was going to tell the cobra to quiet down but when he got to her cage the words wouldn't come. The little snake looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"D-dad-dy...wha-what is that?" She asked fearfully, pointing her tail to the corner of the cage.

Sunil glanced over to were she was pointing, slightly annoyed and-for some odd reason he couldn't explain-slightly worried. In the corner was a mouse...a dead mouse. Tuffs of fur hung in matted patches, two little teeth poked out of a slightly dropped mouth, and the mouse's pink tail had long turned a sickly grey color. Sunil cowered back from the figure, horrified at what he saw.

"That...that's your breakfast." Sunil was barley able to choke out his words.

He glanced at Ular, waiting for her to smirk and eat the dead animal like the hungry monster that she-as well as all cobras-was. Instead he was met by frightened eyes, moist with forming tears.

"Get it away daddy. GET IT AWAY!" She cried, her voice uneven with sobs.

Baffled, Sunil did the only thing he could think to do. He unlatched the cage's lock quickly, eyes shifting between the poor mouse and Ular. The little cobra slithered out in a whirlwind of hasty, jerky motions. Once out, she coiled herself around Sunil.

"Why would someone think I would eat that?! W-why _would_ _anyone _eat a tiny creature like that Daddy?!"

Ular buried her head into Sunil's soft fur, getting him wet with her hot tears. She squeezed him tighter, sobs slowly lessening with each second she was with him. After moments that could as well have been years, Sunil did something he thought he would never do.

He absentmindedly put his paw on Ular's back and brought her just a little bit closer to his chest.


	4. The little contortionist

Ular happily ate from Sunil's food bowl. Crumbs stuck on the ends of her pointy fangs as she gobbled up the food. Sunil watched her with a wary eye, thinking about what happened earlier. He was worried about her even if she was a cobra. The look in her face was daunting, as if she was afraid of her own nature. Didn't she know what she was?

"Ular?" Sunil asked.

"Yeph daphdy?" Ular mumbled through a full mouth of food pellets.

"Where were you raised?" He asked cautiously.

Ular finished her mouth full of food before talking again. She had to think a few minutes.

"It was this weird thingy called an ink-ugg-beater."

"You mean an incubator." Sunil corrected.

"Yeah, that thing. I don't remember much since I was just a little egg but I remember it was warm. Really warm. And then one day...one day it wasn't."

Sunil saw a flash of fear pass across her face, matching the look she had earlier.

"It was cold and I was scared a-and I didn't know what to do." Ular's voice shook ever so slightly.

"Ular, you can stop if you want."

"Stop what?" Ular asked with slight confusion.

"What you were just saying." Sunil started to get irritated, thinking that this was one of Ular's silly games.

"What was I just saying?"

Sunil was about to snap back but stopped when he saw that her face was sincere. This was no sly cobra trick meant to catch him off guard. She truly didn't know. The little cobra began eating again, leaving Sunil to his thoughts. The mongoose went into the living room where his magic kit was.

_'It was cold and I was scared.'_

What was that like? Something went wrong, that much was certain. But how did that effect her? She seemed healthy: strong teeth, good color, nice muscles to strangle her victims with.

"She is a cobra, Sunil. Remember what mother and father taught you; the only good cobra is a dead cobra." Sunil said to himself while putting on his magicians cape.

The cape was decorated with holes formed by age. It had lost its' color in places, fading away to odd grey hues in some places. It was missing a button in the front and loose strings hung in the back. Sunil knew he should throw it away and ask Blyth to make him a new one. He should but he didn't. The cape was a gift from a friend. Not just his friend; it was a gift from his best friend a long time ago when he was just a little pup. Inside the cape was sloppily placed tag.

**Too: Sunel**

**Ferom: Vinniy**

Sunil smiled fondly at the poor spelling. Vinnie got him this cape when the dancing gecko was just a geppy. The detail pertaining to the circumstance of why Vinnie got it for him were lost in his memory. All he remembered was that it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him.

"Pretty dress daddy!" Ular chirped.

Sunil jumped from surprise. Another thing he hated about cobras: You could never hear them coming.

"It is not a dress, it is a _cape_! And do not sneak up on me like that, you very nearly scared me half to death."

"Sorry. Hey, what happens if you get scared half to death twice?" Ular pondered.

The blue mongoose thought it would be better to just ignore her whilst he practiced his tricks. Sunil got out his magic hat and reached into it. He felt around the bottom for a rabbit but came up with a handful of lint instead.

"I do not understand, this trick worked yesterday!"

"What was suppose to happen daddy?"

"A rabbit was suppose to come out of the hat, that is what should have happened."

"But...the hat's empty."

Sunil put his hand on his head in frustration.

"That is why it is a magic trick, Ular." He explained.

"Ooohhh. Heyheyhey, daddy, pull me out of the hat!"

"Do not be ridiculous, you can't fit." Sunil showed her the depth of the hat for good measure.

The hat was meant to rest snuggle on his head, only having enough room for flowers or a small rabbit. Ular, though still a very young reptile, couldn't possible fit due to the mass of her long body.

"Come on, let me try!"

Before Sunil could stop her, Ular slithered into the hat. She curled, twisted, and rolled her body up until-to Sunil's surprise-she fit perfectly with room to spare.

"See daddy! I knew I could do it!" Ular cheered happily.

"But, how are you doing that?"

"I think it's because I'm a contersi-contorsion-kontorsh-"

"Contortionist?" Sunil supplied.

"Yeah that. You're so smart daddy! Now pull me out like I was a rabbit!"

Pulling a cobra out of a mongoose's hat...not the first magic trick Sunil had in mind.

**I'm 69% sure that a baby gecko is a geppy. Review please! And from now on I'm going to try to update my stories every Sunday.**


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